Chair or analogous article of furniture



Nov. 2, 1937. E. A. KANN 2,097,884

CHAIR OF. ANALOGOUS ARTICLEOF FURNITURE Fi'led June 29, 1935 INVENTOR. fM/L AKA/WY ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 2, 1937 UNITED sTATEs O CHAIR OR ANALOGOUS ARTICLE OF FURNI- TUBE Emil A. Kann, Lawrence, N. Y.-

i Application June 29, 2 Claims.

ports with a longitudinally flexible seat and back 10 rest defining member connected to and suspended from the back rest and seat supports of the frame, together with a flexible element connected with and extending upwardly from the rear of the base and anchored to said member adjacent thejuncture of the seat and back rest defining portions thereof.

The invention further comprehends an im-- proved chair or similar article of furniture which includes a longitudinally flexible seat and back rest defining member, preferably composed of transversely disposed, flexibly connected slats and a supporting structure therefor, together with means for connecting the member with and supporting the same from the supporting structure in a taut condition so that the seat and back rest defining portions of the member are normally arranged in a predetermined. angular relation, provision being made to allow for a slack in said member when the chair is occupied so that the seat and back rest portions of said member will be caused to comfortably conform to the contour of the portions of the body of the occupant which contact with the member.

In the preferred form of the invention, the chair includes a resilient frame of continuous tubing bent to define a base having laterally spaced uprights at its forward end, rearwardly directed side arms and a back rest frame together with a cross rod connecting the uprights adjacent the upper ends, and a longitudinally flexible combined seat and back rest member suspended from the back rest frame and the cross rod with a flexible connection between said base and said member at the juncture of the seat and back rest portions thereof by virtue of which the seat and back rest defining portions are normally held in a taut angularly related position.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a chair or similar article of furniture which employs but few and simple parts capable of economical production and assembly, which is strong and durable and made up of materials which are not readily affected by the weather.

With the above enumerated and other objects in View, reference is made to the following Speci- 1935, Serial No. 29,045

fication and accompanying drawing in which there is disclosed several preferred embodiments of the invention, while the claims cover variations and modifications thereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a lawn chair constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary view of a modified form of the invention.

In the preferred form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the chair includesa'resilient frameAwhich is constructed of continuous tubing bent to provide a substantially, U- shaped base disposed in a horizontal plane and including a rear transverse bight portion 5 and forwardly directed side leads 6 with upwardly extending legs 1 at the forward ends of the side leads 6. The frame further includes rearwardly directed arms 8 constituting a continuation of the upper ends of the legs 1. The frame is completed by an inverted substantially U-shaped back rest frame consisting of an upper transverse bight portion 9 and downwardly directed side leads formed as a continuation of the arms 8. A transverse rung H is secured at its opposite ends to the legs 1 adjacent their upper ends and as thus formed the rear upper transverse element 9 is yieldable downwardly towards the transverse element of the base.

The chair further consists of a longitudinally flexible seat and back rest forming member designated generally by the reference character B and which member, as illustrated, is composed of a plurality of spaced parallel transversely disposed slats l2 preferably of wood, said slats being flexibly connected together adjacent their ends and said member being suspended from the bight or transverse member 9 of the back rest frame and from the rung H. In practice, the means for flexibly connecting the slats together consists of a continuous chain l3, the links of which are secured by rivets or equivalent fastening means I4 to the slats and the opposite ends of which chains are engaged with hooks l5 provided respectively on the element or bight 9 and rung I l.

Flexible means of connection is provided between the bight 5 of the base and the member B adjacent the juncture of the seat and back rest defining portions and as illustrated, said connection consists of a pair of chains IS, the upper terminals of which are anchored to the chains I3 and the lower terminals of which are engaged with hooks l'l formed on the transverse bight 5 of the base. In practice, the chains I6 normally exert a pull on the chains l3 to hold the resilient frame under partial tension and to dispose the seat and back rest defining portions in angularly related position. The weight of the occupant seated in the chair effects a downward. flexing of the arm and backrest frame portions of the frame A, thereby permitting the seat defining portion to assume a contour conforming to the person of the occupant, While the back rest forming portion is drawn into intimate contact and supporting relation to the back of the occupant.

In the modified form of the invention diagram matically illustrated in Fig.3 of the drawing, the chair frame which is not illustrated is of a nonresilient or rigid type and in this instance the back rest portion 20 of the longitudinally flexible member is connected at its lower end with the rear of the seat portion 2| by elastic connecting means such as coiled contractile springs 2-2,-.while a. flexible element 23 anchored at its lower end and extending upwardly and forwardly is connected adjacent the'juncture of the seat and back rest portions by a coiled contractile spring or equivalent elastic means 24. In this form of-the invention, the springs 22 and 2G provide a resiliency which causes the chair to function in a manner equivalent to the preferred form of the invention, the springs providing the yieldability which the resilient frame, in the preferred form, afiords.

What is claimed is:

1. In a chair or similar article of furniture, a continuous resilient tubular supporting frame bent to provide a horizontally disposed base, upwardly extending legs constituting a continuation of the forward ends of the side leads of the base, rearwardly directed arms constituting a continuation of the upper ends of the legs and an inverted U-shaped back rest support constituting a continuation of the rear ends of the arms, a transverse rung connecting the legs adjacent their upper ends, a seat and back rest forming member comprising spaced parallel transversely disposed slats and links flexibly connecting the slats together adjacent their ends, said links secured to the underside of and projecting beyond the side edges of the slats and bent to form eyes at their opposite ends interconnected With the eyes of the links of adjacent slats, and the opposite end links being flexibly anchored to the bight of the U-shaped back rest support and to the transverse rung, and a pair of flexible elements secured at their lower ends to the bight of the U-shaped base and to the links at the juncture of the seat and back rest portions of said member to hold the back rest portion thereof in a rearwardly inclined position and the seat portion thereof in a forwardly inclined position when the frame is in normal position or flexed by the weight of the occupant.

2. In a chair, a resilient frame fashioned from a continuous length of material providing a horizontal U-shaped base portion having side leads joined at the rear by a bight, upstanding leg portions at the forward ends of the side leads of the base portion, rearwardly directed horizontal arm portions at the upper ends of the leg portions and an inverted U-shaped upper portion having rearwardly and upwardly inclined side leads joined at the upper ends by a horizontal transverse bight, a cross rod joining the upper ends of the leg portions, a seat and back rest defining member anchored at opposite ends to the cross rod and the bight of the upper portion of the frame and consisting of spaced parallel transversely disposed flexibly connected slats, and a pair of inelastic flexible elements each anchored at one end to the member adjacent opposite sides thereof at the juncture of the seat and back rest portions and each anchored at the remaining end I to transversely spaced points of the bight of the base portion.

EMIL A. KANN. 

